My real reason for writing this is due to the response to some of you Toaster users that constantly complain about NewTek using its knowledge and remarkable skill in making products for other platforms besides the Amiga. Most of us started on an Amiga 2000 when we were birthed on our first Toaster but, when Commodore died so did the amount of Amigas that were available. It seems that some people were unhappy that Tim Jennison and the rest of the people at Toaster central have been making software and hardware to use in your very personal PC and Macintosh. Some of you have ever gone as far as calling NewTek traitors and selling your equipment because of this decision. Shame on you! How many of you hard core and true blue Amiga enthusiasts are reading this story on your Amiga? While I started my career on an Amiga my loyalty and alligiance is to the people that make the Flyer and the Toaster.

Hey! Who left this thing here?

Another fact that many people don't realize is that when Commodore went belly up and sunk faster than a boxful of 6800 processors thown off your local fishing pier, NewTek was forced to come up with solutions to keep their dreams and hopes alive. Let me tell you truthfully that when this disaster occured, I was put in the position of finding Amigas for individuals and companies around the world to house their Toaster units (wonder who was contacted for machines for the kiddie flick "James and the Giant Peach"?). Never at any time did NewTek give up their plans to produce Amiga-based software and hardware. Instead, they started working on video products for the PC and McIntosh even though to this day Amiga doesn't have a company to call its own. While hoping for compromise on the Commodore problem, the Amiga was still important as a video tool. Face it, if all of NewTek's future plans rested on the immediate resurrection of the Amiga platform, then the company wouldn't be here today and you would be stuck with a system with no-one to turn to in case of a problem or need.

Another thing I would like to mention (if I may) is the talk of Pentium processors being digested into the guts of some future and cloned Amiga machines. For those of you thinking of putting your Toaster card into these rendering racers, remember that the Toaster card was designed for the original Amiga processor chip. Although this machine would make your Lightwave 3-D program faster than a speeding bullet we wouldn't want to use a machine with those nasty PC components, would we? Get my drift?

Another matter I would like to bring up is the subject of Video Toaster User magazine recently which came to an abrupt ending and hard death. As many of you know, VTU evolved from a smaller publication called the Breadbox. This is the rag which soon outgrew its size and blossomed into Video Toaster User. While the magazine was a source of inspiration and information for us all, it eventually became time for NewTek to come up something new and different for its many readers and users of the Toaster, Flyer and Lightwave 3D. Simply speaking, I feel that all the technical need could not be met in a magazine that was born solely to support the phenomenon known as the Video Toaster. Viola and hocus pocus - before your very eyes it's NewTekniques bringing back all the magic that made the toasty NewTek hardware and software what it is today. Watch for it soon!

While I sit here and type this piece I hope I haven't offended anybody but, it's time we get off NewTek's back concerning the fate of Amiga and be glad that it wasn't the Topeka-based company that is suffering from Amiga's problems. Face it kids, why don't we all hold hands and sing "Kum By Yah, My Lord" (I never could spell that, nor did I ever have a need to), and be glad that a Higher Force in Kansas has the smarts and savvy to give us the software and hardware we want and need.

Well, I guess I have opened my mouth a bit too much, but the company we're talking about in this column gave a blind person like myself some sort of purpose when they introduced their line of video gadgets. As a matter of fact, while shooting some footage for my upcoming video music project in Akron Ohio with the model and pin up girl known as Unique, I suffered a heart attack. Even though the herd of doctors who watched in vigil over me predicted a fatal ending to my story, I somehow came through and, much to my surprise, awoke from my comatised state to a arrangement of flowers. Guess who they were from? To me, NewTek is more than a company, they are friends.

Thanks for the time you allowed me to occupy your monitor screen, and if you want to reach me you can find me at the following:

phone: (904) 478-1110
e-mail: imdanger@amaranth.com
web page: http://www.amaranth.com/~imdanger
snail mail: PO Box 11802, Pensacola, Fl 32424

your friend,

Mike Danger

C'mon guys. When are you gonna tell me the surprise?